Causeway Construction

By Bernard Fisher, April 28, 2012

1. Causeway Construction Marker

Inscription. Some areas of the marsh were high enough to allow crossing on a corduroy road made of logs. Lower areas of the marsh required a stronger infrastructure, like the one seen here. This exhibit illustrates how five or six timbers, each ranging from 15 to 25 inches wide, were first laid in parallel rows on the bed of the swamp. Next, timbers of equal size were placed across the first layer in parallel rows 10 to 15 feet apart. The resulting cribs, or boxed-in areas, were filled with rot-resistant pieces of wood. An 1802 order from the Norfolk County Court directed repairs to the causeway, calling for the use of “chinquapin spoils to be 4 inches diameter.” Chinquapin was the name for the dwarf chestnut tree, which is near extinction today.

Layers of dirt and oyster shells were added to elevate the structure. These materials were held in place by an additional layer of side timbers connected by tree nails (wooden pegs) to prevent erosion. Finally, the entire system was secured by stakes or pilings, which in that day were referred to as “puncheons.”

It is hard to imagine the enormous physical effort and labor required to cut and haul such heavy trees from local forests, to shape and prepare them with hand tools, and then place them on the bed of the swamp in the required pattern without the help of

April 28, 2012

2. 2002 Excavation

machinery we would use today.

Erected 2012 by Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways History Foundation.

Location. 36° 43.318′ N, 76° 14.382′ W. Marker is in Chesapeake, Virginia. Marker can be reached from the intersection of North Battlefield Boulevard (Business Virginia Route 168) and Watson Road, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chesapeake VA 23320, United States of America.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on April 29, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 498 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 29, 2012, by Bernard Fisher of Mechanicsville, Virginia.